


Burnt Bridges

by PhantomSpade



Category: Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (Video Game)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, My First Work in This Fandom, One Shot, Other, Talking, chapter 2 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-02-09 21:16:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18646264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomSpade/pseuds/PhantomSpade
Summary: Sometimes, you can't easily put the past behind you. Zen would always be a monkey's son. But Haruto reminds him that he is his own person.





	Burnt Bridges

**Author's Note:**

> Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (c) Spike Chunsoft

How many days has it been since the eight of them woke up on Garage Island? How many times have they extended themselves each time they die? 

To Zen, it felt like months. It may have been at least several weeks now, but it felt like forever. 

' _Maybe the aging effect is affecting my sense of time. It would be nice if we had a working clock._ ' 

It was almost morning as the sun barely peeked inside the room he was in. He laid in his bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling above him. He was an adult right now, but he was certain that in a day or two, he would become middle-aged. 

Zen was normally an early riser, a habit carried from his occupation as a farmer. But today, he felt like sleeping in for a bit before he could head out and meet up with the others. The machine part they had obtained was still installing, so no new ruins would come drifting to the island today. 

Of course, before he could even close his eyes, he heard a knock on his door. He lifted his head up and sighed. 

' _I almost forgot that they're other people here on the island._ ' 

"Zen, it's me. Mind if I come in?" The voice was muffled from the other side, but Zen knew who it was, and it made him a smile a bit. 

He hollered to the door. "Sure. It's open." 

The door slid open with ease, revealing a faintly smiling Haruto stepping in. 

"Good morning. Sachika and Minamo are already up before the others, but they've noticed that you weren't up, so I volunteered to check up on you." 

Zen laid himself back on the bed with his usual smile. ' _How typical of you, Haruto._ ' 

"I'm just taking my time today. There's no real rush." Zen patted the space next to him, gesturing Haruto to come over. Thinking none the wiser, the dark-haired man walked towards the bed and carefully sat himself next to Zen.  

"How're you holding up?" He asked. 

Zen shrugged and folded his hands under his head. "I'm going to age soon, so I'm preparing for the wrinkles and graying hair. Overall, not terrible." 

Haruto laughed softly. Out of all people on the island, Zen found Haruto to be more tolerable than the others, and didn't mind his company too much. Too serious for his tastes, but he was starting to grow on him. 

"That's good. I wanted to make sure that you're alright after we...killed your father." 

' _...Oh. It's about that._ '

Zen scoffed, unfazed by both Haruto's concern for his well-being and his habit of being blunt. 

"I never felt better. After killing that fucking bastard, I can relax now." 

Haruto frowned and furrowed his eyebrows at the farmer.  

"You don't sound fine. Are you sure you're not bothered by what happened back there?" 

Zen lifted one of his hands up and pointed towards Haruto's face, his finger almost touching the man's nose and surprising him. 

"As expected as an editor, always sticking your nose into other peoples' affairs." 

It got the dark-haired man flustered as he leaned back to put some distance between him and Zen. 

"I-I'm just worried, that's all." He said as he shook his head. 

The farmer shot him a bored look, yet his eyes contained some bitterness about himself. At least that was what Haruto assumed.  

"I've already accepted that I'm no different from him. My father was a monkey, therefore I am one." 

It didn't exactly set aside the bitter anger inside him, but to Zen, he felt at least more at peace with himself now that his father was gone. Though, a part of him might always be with him...

"I don't believe that's completely true." 

Zen looked surprised at Haruto's statement before looking interested behind the meaning of it. 

"Oh? What are you suggesting?" 

"Uh...What I am trying to say is that just because you share some similarities with him, doesn't mean that you're  _exactly_ like him."  

Zen pushed himself up on his arms so he was leveled with Haruto. He was interested in Haruto's answer, so he decided to press him. 

"In what way am I so different from the old man?" 

"Well, you're...you're not as caustic as you act. Sure, you can be a bully, you have a temper, and you're a pessimist, but you're kind underneath it all. Your father isn't quite like that. So you're still your own person, Zen." 

Zen blinked at Haruto, his mind processing what the latter said. Then with a sigh, he laid himself back down. 

' _...He did it again. He just spout out another corny statement to make me feel better. And it's working like last time._ ' 

"I don't think of myself as being a kind person. But...thanks for trying." He said. 

The conversation ended there, and the two spent several minutes staring up at the ceiling together, lost in thought. The silence was welcoming, only accompanied by the sounds of the ocean. It reminded Zen of the times he worked alone in the farm. It was calm, quiet, and away from the mess his family had made. Just the way he liked it. 

The quietness ended when Haruto started a new conversation. "Zen, do you mind if I ask you a question?" 

Zen hummed and nodded. "Hmm." 

"Do you think that your...brother and nephew ever found out about the affairs before they died?" 

Zen turned his head away to look up at the ceiling in thought. For the next few minutes, he mulled over his thoughts as Haruto gazed at him worriedly. Then the pale-haired man laughed bitterly.  

"How should I know? It doesn't matter." He said before turning on his side to face Haruto.  

"Whether or not they had figured out that I was that monkey's son wouldn't change the fact that they all died in the end. And it wouldn't change that I was kicked out of the family. I never hoped for reconciliation from them because it would never happen. That is that." 

It was something Zen had already accepted. The thought of his family finding out and regretting their decision of disowning him never crossed his mind because it wasn't possible. Though he had figured that Rumiko would've accepted him back, his "father" and "brother" would still never forgive him. It would've been too late for apologies. 

Zen watched as Haruto's face shifted into a mix of understanding and melancholy. It wasn't exactly sympathy, but the dark-haired man was considerate enough to not express it towards Zen.   

"I see."

Zen just chuckled lowly at his short answer. "I bet you had a normal family." 

Much to his surprise, Haruto casted his eyes down in sorrow and brought his legs up to hug them against his chest. 

"To be honest...I don't think I was really close to my parents. I mean, they did their best to take care of me and we got along fine and all, but we didn't spend too much time together. Still, I wonder what their last thoughts were before they...died." 

For a second, Zen felt a bit envious of Haruto. Compared to his own family, Haruto's sounded more decent and normal. But at least he had family that he actually missed. 

"I bet they were thinking about what they wanted for dinner. Or better yet, deciding on kicking you out for that article you 'wrote'." Zen said teasingly. 

Haruto looked down at Zen with an offended expression, showing that he was unamused by the latter's teasing. 

"Really, Zen..." 

Of course, Zen gave out his honest answer. "I'm kidding. They probably thought about when you were coming home from work." 

Haruto blushed and fiddled his glasses, deciding not to look at Zen. ' _How interesting._ '  

"T-That's awfully considerate of you, Zen. Thanks." Haruto said in a quiet voice. 

Unknownest to Haruto, Zen was surprised at himself for making such a caring action. Did he really have kindness in him like Haruto said? 

He sighed exasperatedly. "I must be getting soft then thanks to you guys. I'll have to get used to being around people like you...." 

The editor laughed and scratched the back of his head. ' _Well, that cheered him up._ '

"I know this is too soon, but I think at this rate, we might become each other's family." 

The pale-haired man tilted his head up at Haruto with a look of interest. 

"Really? Then Missy is the little sister, Ryo is the perverted older brother, Madam is the sheltered spoiled cousin, and Doctor is the overly affectionate uncle." 

Haruto laughed again, a little louder than before. Zen wondered if he should laugh more often; it made him look less stiff.  

"Ahehe...What about Rinko and Minamo? And us?" 

Zen smiled micheviously.  ' _Time to tease him._ '

"Them? A couple of moms. As for us..." 

Zen sat up and leaned in towards Haruto, who was taken back by the man's sudden closeness. He grunted in surprise when Zen placed a gloved hand on his cheek, not expecting the other's action. 

Then what Zen said made him a flustered mess. 

"I guess we're husbands." 

The editor's eyes widen behind his glasses, cheeks tinted red and mouth opened like a fish. Zen just smiled and didn't move away as he watched the man try to regain his composure. 

"W-Wha-?" 

Before Haruto could say any more, the door opened with a sharp creak, causing Haruto to move away and bringing the two mens' attention to see who it was. They sighed when they saw Sachika greeting them with her usual cheery smile. 

"There you are, Haruto! Zen! It's time to get up! Everyone is waiting at the garage!" 

' _Ah, guess it was fun while it lasted._ ' 

Upon looking closely at the two men laying in bed, Sachika brought her prosthetic arm up to her face, looking rather curious. Then she smiled happily. 

"Are you two cuddling? Aww, Sachika wants to cuddle with too! Oh! How about I get everyone here so we can all cuddle together?" 

Haruto quickly put his hands up in protest as he attempted to politely refuse the young blonde's proposition.  

"N-No No, Sachika. You don't have to do that. Besides, Zen's bed isn't big enough for eight people-" 

Haruto was once again cut off, this time by Zen's loud yawn. The farmer stretched his arms out as he gave the editor his usual carefree grin. 

"It's time that we get up anyway, Haruto . Might as well start another day until that machine part is finished installing." 

Haruto sighed. "Ah...alright." 

The two men stood up from the bed and followed the ethuasitic girl out of apartment to prepare themselves another day of survival. 

On their way to the garage, Zen looked up at the blue sky and smiled to himself. Until they continue to hunt for machine parts, he ventured that the clones would be spending the rest of their lives together. And he didn't feel uncomfortable with that. 

' _Well, a monkey can find a new pack. And this one might be more enjoyable than my last one._ ' 


End file.
